The 21st century is the current century of the Anno Domini era or the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. It began on January 1, 2001, and will end on December 31, 2100.[1][2] It is the first century of the 3rd millennium. It is distinct from the time span known as the 2000s, which began on January 1, 2000 and will end on December 31, 2099.
ciation

Shanghai has become a symbol of the recent economic boom of China.
The first years of the 21st century have thus far been marked by the rise of a global economy and Third World consumerism, mistrust in government, deepening global concern over terrorism and an increase in the power of private enterprise.[3][4][5] The long term effects of increased globalization are not known, but there are many who are concerned about its implications.[6] The Arab Spring of the early 2010s led to mixed outcomes in the Arab world.[7] The Digital Revolution which began around the 1980s also continues into the present.[8] The Millennials (born c. 1981-2000) having been born before the turn of the century give way to the rise of Generation Y & Generation Z in Western countries.[9]

In contemporary history, the 21st century essentially began in 1991 (the end of Short Twentieth Century) with the United States as the sole superpower in the absence of the Soviet Union, while China began its rise to becoming a superpower and the BRICS countries aim to create more balance in the global political and economic spectrum.[10][11][12]

The completion of the Human Genome Project in 2003 marks the continual rise of Life Sciences, which makes mankind's long-held dreams, such as curing cancer, more realistic.[13] By the 2010s gene therapy, first performed somatically in late 1990 and heritably in 1996, showed promise but remains an experimental and emerging technology.

Assistive reproductive technology developed in the 1980s such as polar body biopsy and preimplantation genetic diagnosis has allowed for the selection of genetic traits, and along with the advent of ultrasound has increased the number of boys and decreased the number of girls in many countries, most notably in China and India but also in other Asian and eastern Europe countries.[14] This began in the late 1980s in China and India and after the fall of communism in the Balkans and Caucasus regions, concurrent with both the advent of capitalism in those countries and the widespread availability of reproductive technology.[14]

While digital telecommunications technology became widely used by most of the world, concerns about stress from the overuse of mobile phones, the Internet and related technologies remains controversial.[15]

By 2013 about 80% of the world's population used mobile phones.[16] An estimated 33% owned personal computers in 2010,[17] and 46% used the Internet by 2016, compared to about 1% in 1996.[18]

The distribution of modern technology is not equal - in 2012 it was estimated that 1.5 billion people, or about 20% of the world's population still lacked access to electric power, with many more having only intermittent or poor access.[19]

The International Energy Agency estimates that 83% of the global population has access to electricity as of 2013 with the percentage projected to increase to 88% by 2030.[20][21]

Population[edit]

The world population was about 6.1 billion at the start of the 21st century. It had reached 7.3 billion in 2015, and is estimated to reach about 9.37 billion by the year 2050.[22]
Pronunciation[edit]
There is a debate among experts and the general public on how to pronounce specific years of the 21st century in English. Regarding this, academics suggested that since former years such as 1805 and 1905 were commonly pronounced as "eighteen oh" or "nineteen oh" five, the year 2005 should naturally have been pronounced as "twenty oh-five".[23] A less common variation would have been "twenty nought-five". Generally, the early years of the 21st century were pronounced as "two-thousand (and) five", with a change taking place in 2010, where pronunciations often shift between the early-year standard of "two-thousand and ten" and the common approach used in the late 20th-century of "twenty-ten".

The Vancouver Olympics, which took place in 2010, was being officially referred to by Vancouver 2010 as "the twenty-ten Olympics". The latest timeframes for change are usually placed at 2020.[23]

According to The Stanley Kubrick Archives, in the press release for his film 2001: A Space Odyssey, film director Stanley Kubrick included specific instructions for journalists to refer to the movie as "two thousand and one" instead of the commonplace pronunciation of "twenty-oh-one". Kubrick said he did this in the hope that if the film became popular, it would influence the pronunciation of that year.[24]

Politics and wars[edit]

Protesters try to stop members of the G8 from attending the summit during the 27th G8 summit in Genoa, Italy by burning vehicles on the main route to the summit.
Genocide still remains a problem in this century with the concern of the war in Darfur and the growing concern in Sri Lanka. Low estimates on the deaths in Darfur stand around 200,000 deaths with 2.5 million in displacement, there has been much outcry against the perpetrators, the Sudanese government, and the very weak international response. Also controversies from past genocides remain commonplace in the minds of victims and average people alike.

19982002  The Second Congo War continued into the early 21st century. A 1999 ceasefire quickly broke down and a UN peacekeeping mission, MONUC, was unable to control the fighting. Troops from Rwanda and Uganda continued to support rebel groups against the Democratic Republic of the Congo and rifts also grew between Rwanda and Uganda as they accused each other of supporting rival rebel groups as well. Laurent Kabila, president of the DRC, was assassinated in January 2001 and his son, Joseph Kabila, took power. Throughout 2002 steps were made towards peace and Rwanda and Uganda both removed their troops from the country. On December 17, 2002, a massive treaty officially ended the war. However, the DRC only holds power in less than half of the country, with most of the eastern and northern portions still controlled by rebel groups, where there is still significant infighting. In addition, Rwanda still supports anti-DRC rebels and anti-Rwandan rebels continue to operate from the DRC. The war killed an estimated 3.9 million people, displaced nearly 5.5 million, and led to a widespread and ongoing famine that continues to result in deaths. Severe human rights violations continue to be reported.

2001  George W. Bush became the second president of the United States to be the son of a former president when he was inaugurated on January 20, 2001.
2001  Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (aka GMA) becomes the second woman President of the Philippines and the first to be the child of a previous President, Diosdado Macapagal.
2001  More than 200,000 Anti-globalization protesters marched in Genoa, during the 27th G8 summit. Two demonstrators were killed by the Italian police. On 21 July a group of Carabinieri attacked the school Armando Diaz, seriously injuring many peaceful protesters. Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi insisted that police used the minimum amount of force necessary to achieve their goals.
2001  Al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners and crashed two of them into the World Trade Center, one into the Pentagon and one into a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania of the United States on September 11, killing nearly 3,000 people. The United States subsequently declared a War on Terrorism.

September 11 attacks

2001present  The U.S. and NATO invaded Afghanistan on October 7, 2001, and overthrew the Al-Qaeda-supportive Taliban government. Troops remained to install a democratic government, fight a slowly escalating insurgency, and to hunt for Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden who was killed by American troops nearly 10 years later, on May 2, 2011.
2002  The International Criminal Court (ICC) was established on July 1.
2002  On September 10, Switzerland, a neutral country, becomes a member of the United Nations.
2003present  In February 2003, a conflict in Darfur, Sudan, began and soon escalated into full-scale war. By 2008 it was believed that up to 400,000 people had been killed and over 2.5 million displaced. In 2005, the ICC decided that Darfur war criminals would be tried, and on July 14, 2008, Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir was charged with 5 accounts of crimes against humanity and 2 accounts of war crimes, although the ICC has no power to enforce these charges.
20032010  The U.S.-led coalition invaded Iraq on March 20, 2003, and overthrew the government of Saddam Hussein (who was executed by the Iraqi government on December 30, 2006). Coalition troops remain in the country to install a democratic government and fight an escalating insurgency. In addition to an insurgency against the American presence, Iraq also suffered from a civil war for several years. The war was soon seen as the central front of the War on Terror by many governments, despite growing international dissatisfaction with the war. The total death toll has been estimated at near 150,000 but these estimations are highly disputed, with one highly disputed study guessing even over 1 million.[25] After the U.S.-led coalition initiated a troop surge in 2007, casualty numbers have decreased significantly. Combat ended, at least officially, in August 2010.
20032005  A series of nonviolent revolutions known as the colour revolutions overthrew governments in Georgia, Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan, and Lebanon.
2004  The European Union expanded by 10 countries, including 8 former communist countries, plus Malta and Cyprus.

Various scenes from the 2005 civil unrest in France. The riots renewed debate over France's failure to integrate millions of immigrants.
2004  Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo gets re-elected as President of the Philippines, marking the first time that a woman was re-elected to the highest position in the country.
2005  Pope John Paul II dies and Joseph Ratzinger is elected as Pope Benedict XVI.
2005  Three bombs were separately detonated in London in the early hours of July 7. This was the work of four Islamic extremists, resulting in the damage of infrastructure of King's Cross tube station and a double-decker bus at Tavistock Square. 56 people were killed, including the four suicide bombers.
20062008  The dismantling of former Yugoslavia continued after Montenegro gained independence on June 3, 2006, and Kosovo declared independence on February 17, 2008. However, Kosovo's independence was disputed by Russia and many of its allies and was only partially recognized.
2006  On July 12, Hezbollah crossed the border of Lebanon and captured two Israeli soldiers. Israel responded by sending troops across the border and bombing Hezbollah strongholds, while Hezbollah fired missiles on towns in northern Israel, approximately 6 each day. At the end of the war 1,200 Lebanese civilians, 500 Hezbollah fighteres, 44 Israeli civilians and 121 Israeli soldiers died. A ceasefire was signed on August 14, after which Israeli troops withdrew from Lebanon. Many military sources in Israel have warned about the danger of a new Israeli-Lebanese conflict back in the year 2000, when Israel has withdrawn from Lebanon.
2006  North Korea conducted its first nuclear test on October 9.[26] This was preceded by years of political wrangling with the U.S. over the status of their nuclear program.
20072008  Nepal's centuries-old monarchy is overthrown, and the country becomes a republic.
2007  A civil war escalated in the Gaza Strip throughout June, which resulted in Hamas eventually driving most Fatah-loyal forces from the Strip. In reaction, Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas dismissed Hamas prime minister Ismail Haniyeh and dissolved the Hamas-ruled parliament. Scattered conflict continues.

In 2009, Barack Obama became the first African-American president of the United States.
2007  Pratibha Patil becomes the first woman to be elected President of India.
2007-2008  Crisis follows the Kenyan presidential election of 2007, leading to the formation of a coalition government, with Mwai Kibaki as president and Raila Odinga as prime minister.
2008  Kosovo unilaterally declared independence from Serbia. Serbia refuses to recognize it and considers Kosovo as part of its territory.
2008  Armed conflict broke out in August 2008 between Georgia on one side, and the Russian Federation together with Ossetians and Abkhazians on the other. Russia officially recognized independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
2008  Barack Obama was elected as the first African-American President of the United States. He was sworn into office in January 2009.
2010  Julia Gillard becomes the first female elected Prime Minister of Australia

Julia Gillard was sworn in as the first female Prime Minister of Australia in 2010.
2010  Benigno Simeon Aquino III (aka P-Noy) is the first bachelor President of the Philippines and the second to be the child of a previous president, Cory Aquino (who also happened to be the first woman president in the country).
2010  The birth of the Arab Spring, on December 17, when several people begin protesting against the Tunisian government.
2011  Norway is the victim of twin terror attacks, the first being a bomb blast which targeted government buildings in central Oslo, the second being a massacre at a youth camp on the island of Utψya.
2011  On May 2, Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, who was responsible for the development of the plans for the 9/11 attacks, is killed in a raid on his compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan by the U.S. Navy's SEAL Team 6 (DEVGRU).
2011  The shutdown of the largest UK tabloid News of the World after 168 years in print due to the 2009 phone hacking scandal.
2011  On July 14, South Sudan becomes a member of the United Nations.
2011  On October 20, deposed dictator Muammar Gaddafi was captured and killed by the National Liberation Army of Libya, during Libyan Civil War.
2011  On December 15, the Iraq War was declared formally over.
2011  The death of the supreme leader of North Korea (DPRK), Kim Jong-il, on December 17 during a train journey.
2013  France intervenes with its army in Northern Mali conflict defeating the Islamists who had taken control of the country.
2013  Pope Benedict XVI resigns on February 28 and Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina is elected pope on March 13, taking the name of Pope Francis.
2013  President of Venezuela Hugo Chavez dies due to prostate cancer and is replaced by Nicolas Maduro.
2013  Convicted Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan puts an end to the armed revolt against Turkey
2013  Park Geun-hye is elected President of South Korea, the first woman to hold the position.
2013  Rebels seize power in Central African Republic ousting the President and government.
2013  Iran allows international inspections on its nuclear policy in exchange of the removal of the sanctions and the right to produce a small amount of low-grade enriched uranium, thus marking an apparent new policy towards the United Nations under Hassan Rohani's presidency.
2013  Syria avoids an American intervention on its soil during the Syrian Civil War, accepting to destroy all chemical weapons stocks owned.
2013  China declares unilaterally a fly recognition area over Senkaku Islands, stating that every flight on the area has to be authorized.
2013  South Africa political and civil leader Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela died at the age of 95 from natural causes.
2014  Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovich is ousted amidst the Euromaidan revolution. Then Russian Federation annexed Crimea, and "low intensity" war in Donbass started between the Ukrainian government and Russian-backed separatists.
2014  In Syria, amidst the rampant civil war, the terrorist group Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant rises and seizes territories in northern Iraq and Syria, near the border with Turkey. The United States lead a coalition of more than 50 countries to destroy ISIL.
2014  Scotland, with a referendum, decides to remain part of the United Kingdom.
2014  Israel, In July 2014 tensions rose again between Hamas in the Gaza Strip and the State of Israel, Hamas fired hundreds of rockets onto civilian cities in Israel, the IDF retaliated and conducted airstrikes on the Gaza strip for more than a month, Casualties were high on both sides.
2014  In Burkina Faso, President Blaise Compaorι resigns amidst widespread protests ending 27 years of leadership.
2015  In the United States, same-sex marriage was legalized in all 50 states.
2015  ISIS claimed responsibility of the shootings and suicide bombs in Paris on November 13, which became known as the November 2015 Paris attacks. Many were killed and injured from the incident.
2016 - The United Kingdom, with a referendum, decides to leave the European Union.
New countries and territorial changes[edit]

South Sudan gained its independence on July 9, 2011.

Kosovo declared independence on February 17, 2008.
Some territories have gained independence during the 21st century. This is a list of sovereign states that have gained independence in the 21st century and have been recognized by the UN.

East Timor East Timor (Timor-Leste)[27] on May 20, 2002
Montenegro Montenegro on June 3, 2006
South Sudan South Sudan on July 9, 2011
These territories have declared independence and secured relative autonomy but they have only been recognized by some UN member states:

Kosovo Kosovo on February 17, 2008 (partially recognized)
South Ossetia South Ossetia on August 26, 2008 (partially recognized)
Abkhazia Abkhazia on August 26, 2008 (partially recognized)
These territories were annexed from a sovereign country, the action have only been recognized by some UN member states:

Autonomous Republic of Crimea Crimea annexed from Ukraine into the Russian Federation on March 18, 2014

My Comments: Yep we've been busy can't say much was good.

__________________
Boats

O Almighty Lord God, who neither slumberest nor sleepest; Protect and assist, we beseech thee, all those who at home or abroad, by land, by sea, or in the air, are serving this country, that they, being armed with thy defence, may be preserved evermore in all perils; and being filled with wisdom and girded with strength, may do their duty to thy honour and glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.